BACKGROUND: Leg ulcers are a frequently neglected, severe complication of sickle cell disease (SCD), responsible for significant altering quality of life. The management of leg ulcers remains disappointing. Local application of recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor has been shown to be effective in several types of chronic wound healing. METHODS: We report 5 homozygous sickle cell patients with 14 leg ulcers lasting from 1 month to 6 years, treated with topical dripping of molgramostim solution. RESULTS: Healing was obtained for 9/14 ulcers, with no local or systemic adverse reactions. COMMENTS: Molgramostim solution appears to be an adequate therapy for SCD leg ulcers but a more conclusive evaluation will depend on larger series of patients and other types of formulations for topical applications could be even more effective in the future. Copyright 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel
BACKGROUND:Leg ulcers are a frequently neglected, severe complication of sickle cell disease (SCD), responsible for significant altering quality of life. The management of leg ulcers remains disappointing. Local application of recombinant humangranulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor has been shown to be effective in several types of chronic wound healing. METHODS: We report 5 homozygous sickle cell patients with 14 leg ulcers lasting from 1 month to 6 years, treated with topical dripping of molgramostim solution. RESULTS: Healing was obtained for 9/14 ulcers, with no local or systemic adverse reactions. COMMENTS: Molgramostim solution appears to be an adequate therapy for SCD leg ulcers but a more conclusive evaluation will depend on larger series of patients and other types of formulations for topical applications could be even more effective in the future. Copyright 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel